225 Elaine Forman Crane, The Poison Plot: Adultery and Murder in Colonial Newport
Ben Franklin's World
English - February 12, 2019 06:00 - 51 minutes - 49 MB - ★★★★★ - 988 ratingsHistory Society & Culture americanrevolution benfranklin history ushistory benjaminfranklin colonialamerica earlyamericanhistory earlyamericanrepublic earlyrepublic education Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
In 1738, a cooper named Benedict Arnold petitioned the Rhode Island General Assembly for a divorce from his wife Mary Ward Arnold. Benedict claimed that Mary had taken a lover and together they had attempted to murder him with poison.
How did this story of love, divorce, and attempted murder unfold? What does it reveal about the larger world of colonial America and the experiences of colonial American men and women?
Elaine Forman Crane, a Distinguished Professor of History at Fordham University, takes us through the Arnolds’ story with details from her book, The Poison Plot: A Tale of Adultery and Murder in Colonial Newport.
Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/225
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